Nittany Lion announced as inductee to hall of fame
The Penn State Nittany Lions may have lost on Saturday, but the Nittany Lion himself won Monday.
The university’s mascot was announced as an inductee into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made on Facebook Live. The Nittany Lion was the first of four inductees for 2018 announced.
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Proud to announce that, as a result of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PennState?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PennState</a> fan & selection committee votes, I'm a Mascot Hall of Famer! <a href="https://t.co/yx2DcvAefD">https://t.co/yx2DcvAefD</a> <a href="https://t.co/D9BkqkRnJZ">pic.twitter.com/D9BkqkRnJZ</a></p>— The Nittany Lion (@NittanyLion) <a href="https://twitter.com/NittanyLion/status/927584435834359809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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“This character is so powerful,” said David Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic and hall of fame founder.
The Lion was joined by Sluggerrr, of the Kansas City Royals; Tommy Hawk, of the Chicago Blackhawks; and Benny the Bull, of the Chicago Bulls.
The Lion joins 17 other professional and collegiate mascots. He is the fourth Big Ten mascot, following Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye, Wisconsin’s Bucky the Badger and Nebraska’s Lil Red.
The hall of fame in Whiting, Ind., is set to open in 2018.
“This is not your formal hall of fame,” Raymond said. “This going to be about pure fun.”
The hall includes a glass atrium where inflatable heads of the inducted mascots will float. The attraction will also allow visitors to go through “Mascot University” to get an understanding of what goes into rallying the crowds and why mascots are “unsung heroes,” he said.
Lori Falce: 814-235-3910, @LoriFalce
This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Nittany Lion announced as inductee to hall of fame."